Garfield Portch demonstrated the machine with the massive $10 blue whale stamp. Blowing the stamp up revealed microprinting and a number of fluorescing details. Moving up the edge of the stamp, he revealed how the software makes it possible not only to count the perfs, but to actually make measurements. In a second demonstration, two earlier stamps were compared. Using the comparator, it was possible to backlight the stamps to reveal the laid paper line, and compare details of the wire weave. It appeared identical in both cases. In the case of a cover, Portch showed how it was possible to compare a spectral signature of the ink used in the cancel on a stamp with a separate date stamp. In this case, the inks matched, revealing that both stamps had been applied at the same time. Continue reading →
The booklet cover features Wreath of Flowers, an appliqué quilt created by Catharine Gage Pettit in Fruitland, Ont., in 1865 as part of her trousseau for her marriage to William Ira Case Jones. Family and friends helped complete the historic quilt, now part of the Royal Ontario Museum collection. (Image courtesy of Canada Post)
